The table was full of Auntie Chen's delicious spread, and just the wafting fragrance made one salivate instinctively.
He glanced over the food on the plates and then turned his head to find at the main seat beside him, Ye Lan, who had changed into a set of household cotton shorts and let down her hair, was smilingly holding her chin and watching him,
"Hungry, little glutton? Let's start eating when Auntie Chen brings the bowls and chopsticks, and when Shiyu arrives."
That smiling gaze and the affectionate nickname made Yan Huan feel an unfamiliar shyness. He avoided Ye Lan's eyes and was about to stand up to help Auntie Chen with the bowls and chopsticks,
"Let me help Auntie Chen with that."
"No need, Xiao Huan, sit down, I've already got it."
Before she finished speaking, Auntie Chen had already brought the bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen, placing them in front of Ye Lan, Yan Huan, and the seat beside him.
Only three bowls, three sets of chopsticks?
Just when Yan Huan thought Auntie Chen wouldn't be joining them for the meal, she turned back to the kitchen and came over with a pure black porcelain bowl and stainless steel chopsticks, placing them across from Yan Huan.
Yan Huan stared blankly, only then noticing the elegant white script engraved on the different black porcelain bowl,
"Ye Shiyu"
On the end of each stainless steel chopstick, the same name was written in small letters.
Yan Huan looked inquisitively at Ye Lan, only to receive a helpless smile in response; it was the still smiling Auntie Chen who explained for him,
"This is a set of porcelain that Shiyu had specially made for herself in the Porcelain Capital in Dragon Country. She also had one made and brought back for us. But only she likes black; her mom and I think it's not that pretty, and we use ordinary bowls."
"Are the stainless steel chopsticks also made to order?"
"Oh, those weren't, they're just bought... It's just that the child Shiyu has a habit of writing her name on her belongings. Well, she has to write on everything; it takes her a long time to do this every time after shopping."
Auntie Chen served rice for everyone and poured drinks while she spoke,
"And she doesn't like to throw away anything that belongs to her; she won't discard it unless it's completely unusable. If something is lost by accident, she would keep searching until it's found."
What a strange habit?
Yan Huan blinked, thinking to himself.
Ye Lan's expression grew more helplessly amused, but she did not disparage her daughter's stubborn habit; instead, she optimistically said,
"It has gotten much better after she started high school. If it isn't something really precious and she really can't find it, she'll give up... It means that your Sister Shiyu really treasures everything she has. I think it's a good quality."
"If I had a habit like my sister, I wouldn't have been criticized by my middle school teacher for being scatterbrained."
Yan Huan echoed, causing Ye Lan to cover her mouth and giggle softly.
Meanwhile, quiet footsteps came from the stairs; Ye Lan turned her head to see that Ye Shiyu had come down. She waved and smiled,
"Shiyu, come and eat."
"Okay."
Ye Shiyu nodded, her face still expressionless, neither enthusiastic nor indifferent, and took a seat opposite Yan Huan, gingerly holding a glass.
The next second, as she anticipated, Ye Lan raised her glass with a smile to Yan Huan,
"Let's start dinner then. Here, welcome Xiao Huan to our home, cheers."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Sweetie, no need to thank Auntie."
Ye Shiyu also raised her glass, touching first with Ye Lan, Auntie Chen, and finally with Yan Huan.
But she only took a small sip, then used her tongue to lightly lick her lips.
That was the signal that dinner had begun.
Ye Shiyu held the black bowl in her left hand, her pale and lightly pink fingertips slowly rubbing over the engraved name, watching her mother pile food onto the plates for Yan Huan and herself.
The Ye family did not have a custom of silence during meals, and the topic of conversation at family dinners was usually simple. Auntie Chen frequently joined in the chat, asking about trivial matters like the freshness of vegetables in the supermarket.
Through a reminder from Ye Lan, she learned that Lin Gate was in fact at sea, with basically no farmland, so the vegetables were all imported from abroad.
Ye Shiyu ate her meal delicately and slowly, never speaking a word.
Ye Lan, on the other hand, was more attentive to Yan Huan, asking him many things she hadn't inquired about on the ride, about school matters, and subtly steering the conversation towards topics of interest to people of their age,
"Do you rely on school buses for your school commutes?"
"Yes, Auntie, every district has routes. Jinghe District does, too, it's just that it seems to be quite far from here. The students living in nearby residential areas... well, they probably don't need the school bus."
"That's true. It can be quicker to transport Shiyu to and from school, saving commuting time. It's just that I'm so busy on weekdays; I don't have much time and have to arrange a separate car for Shiyu..."
Yan Huan had the sneaking suspicion that Ye Lan was paving the way for some unspoken words.
While talking, Ye Lan seemed to suddenly remember something. She put her chopsticks down, her eyes shining as she made a suggestion to Yan Huan,
"That reminds me, Xiao Huan, how about you come and stay at our house?"
"Ah?"
"You're at the same school and about the same age. This way, you can go to school with Shiyu, and there's car transport, so you don't need to rush for the bus in the morning and evening. Auntie Chen can take care of breakfast and dinner, and prepare desserts for you to take to school... What do you think, Xiao Huan?"